The production, directed by Kasper Holten, will open on 25 March. The opera, not staged professionally in the UK since 1972, is a comedy about a sex-starved young queen and her two would-be lovers.

Kasper said: 'I just couldn’t keep my hands off this one. Cavalli’s opera does not shy away from the cheapest tricks in the book, and we hope that by presenting it in this incredible setting with such a wonderful cast and an expert musician like Christian Curnyn conducting, we can combine the low comedy and the sublime, and create an evening that will both be full of insights and shamelessly entertaining.'

The Sam Wanamaker Playhouse will provide an indoor playing space during the winter months at Shakespeare's Globe. A faithful reproduction of a Jacobean playhouse, it will be unique among London venues, with a handmade oak structure and pit seating. It will be lit by hundreds of candles during performances and seat 340 people.

The Playhouse's inaugural season includes a number of plays and concerts, as well as The Royal Opera's staging of L'Ormindo.